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Robbie Mustoe
Back again for a second go. Signed in 1990 for £375k. 12 years, 365 appearances, 3 wembley cup finals, 3 promotions. A true midfield general with an incredble engine, and a hugely important player in the rebuild after 1986.

Paul Gascoigne
Gazza. A mercurial talent. Always loved the game and played with a smile on his face. Signed by Robbo in a £3.4m deal, his time at Boro was a time time of great personal issue for Gazza. Alcoholism, depression, grief - he really went through the mire - but we did see flashes of his immense ability.

Christian Karembeu
Another huge name to pull on thr Boro shirt. As did his Mrs too! Signed from Real Madrid for £2.1m, he's another player who's best football was behind him as he began to reach the twilight of his career, but we did see a few flashes of his playmaking brilliance.

Jonathan Woodgate
Local boy done good. From Nunthorpe School to Real Madrid. A brilliant defender who could've been among thr best in the world if it hadn't been for injuries during his time in Spain. Played just shy of 100 games for the Boro, and lead by example with his consistency, work rate, and his demands of those around him.

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I knew this was probably gonna come through the way it has and so I could only give it to Woodgate, as the best defender I've seen play for this club. I've never seen any of the others play for us, unfortunately. It was always gonna be tough to beat Woodgate, for me.

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I knew this was probably gonna come through the way it has and so I could only give it to Woodgate, as the best defender I've seen play for this club. I've never seen any of the others play for us, unfortunately. It was always gonna be tough to beat Woodgate, for me.

It's hard to argue with that. I actually changed my mind on a couple of occasions writing this.

We didnt get to see the best of Gazza for Boro you saw moments of brilliance he could pick out a pass and was great on the ball but I think fitness wise he wasn't at the level you'd have hoped.

Karembeu and his lovely wife who modelled the kits for us. He was a decent player but I think he wasn't here long enough.

It was a tough choice as Woodgate is arguably the best defender we have had. Mustoe was a great role model and our promotion seasons and Robbos years in the premier league he was great and think would have to be near the top of most underrated Boro players. I'm going to pick Mustoe just based on his longevity and being part of such a great era.

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He might have been the least talented of all the players above but Mustoe is my choice. His contribution to the club was head and shoulders above the others on this list, probably the most underrated player we've had at the Boro.

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It really annoyed me when Woodgate wore the no.8 shirt. There was just no reason. Just as there was no reason for Paul Ince to occupy the no.9 shirt for soo many seasons.

That said bar Southgate, i not seen a better defender at Boro than JW. His reading of the game was truly exceptional. Judy wosh he had a wore a traditional CBs number of 4, 5 or 6. Failing that anything after 11

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For pure talent you can't really argue with Woodgate. Class player. Was torn between him and Mustoe though who was more important to Boro history but obviously a lesser talent football wise. Gazza and Karembeu didn't do enough for me to be in contention.

Question though: We're doing a squad right, and not just the first 11?

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Although Woodgate was undoubtedly a classy player, I wouldn’t say that he enjoyed his best days at Boro. He fell out with the club at 16 and moved to Leeds, which started a great career. When he finally got to Boro on loan he was a shadow of the player that he had been at Leeds and Newcastle.
When the club shelled out £7m for him to make the move permanent, he struggled and once Wheater over took him in the pecking order he asked to leave and went to Spurs. His second period at the club was in the twilight of his career and now we are saddled with him as manager.

For me, he’s the least worthy choice out of the 4 and do we really want another central defender in the first 11?

Thank you as always for the info. When you say there are 2 lists of 8 or 9 players. Does that mean we are looking to sign 8 or 9 new players? Probs make sense if 5 out the 7 out of contract players are leaving along with a handful of loan players.

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